Stealing Cinderella
by HermioneRose
Summary: While waiting for Sharpay and Haylie, Ryan falls asleep, and meets Haylie's father in a dream. And Ryan has one question to ask Mr. Anderson...


**Author's Note: Here's Stealing Cinderella! If anyone has any ideas for a story, let me know by PMing me! Enjoy, and happy reading!**

**Chapter One: The Ghostly Father**

If it's one thing that Ryan Evans hated most, it was shopping with his sister, Sharpay Evans, and his girlfriend, Haylie Anderson.

Though, he puts up it with because Haylie always made a deal with him that after they were going through the stores that they wanted to go through, they will agree to go into any store of Ryan's liking.

He was situationed on a chair outside the dressing rooms, watching various woman make their way to the rooms, which included Sharpay and Haylie with an arm load of clothes to clothe an entire army of soliders.

"It'll only take a minute." Haylie told him a few minutes ago, and the minute turned into a few minutes, and those few minutes turned into a few hours.

Ryan felt his eyes slowly starting to close, and that's when he fell asleep. He tried to wake himself up, but it was no use.

When he finally did, however, he was back at Haylie and his house, in the livingroom.

"What--" he started to ask, but then he noticed someone else was in the room as well.

The man looked older than Ryan, but not that much, probably about forty, or even younger than that, with blonde hair and blue eyes.

The odd thing about the man was that he appeared to be...glowing, so to speak.

The man looked at him for a moment, and then he spoke.

"My name is Randy Anderson, Haylie and MacKenize's father."

Ryan opened his mouth to speak, but then he closed it again.

Randy raised an eyebrow.

"Have you ever seen a ghost before, son?" Randy asked, and Ryan shook his head.

"No, I haven't...just where am I?" Ryan asked, and Randy frowned.

"This is how I could get hold of you...I couldn't go into that store with all those people looking at me."

"Hold of me? You mean...you wanted to talk to me?" Ryan asked.

"Yes--and stop asking questions! It's getting rather annoying." Randy huffed, and Ryan nodded.

Randy looked him over, and Randy's frown turned into a half-smile.

"I see that Haylie never dwelled on looks. I taught her that, you know."

Ryan smiled as he looked at him.

"Thank you, sir."

Randy nodded, and sat back in his chair.

They sat in silence for awhile, and Ryan glanced back at Randy as Randy looked at him.

"Well, isn't there something you wanted to ask me?"

Ryan looked startled for a minute.

"What?" he asked.

"Did you want to ask me something?"

"Me? What about you?" Ryan asked, and Randy nodded.

"I suppose your right, but I have nothing to ask. If I did, I was going to ask how well you treat Haylie, but I've seen you with her, so my question has already been anwsered."

Ryan glanced down at the ground.

"What would you say if I told you I wanted to marry your daughter sometime in the near future?" Ryan asked, finally looking up, and Randy bit his lower lip.

"Well...what do you want me to say?"

Ryan was taken back by his answer.

"Yes, but...if you feel I'm not good enough--"

"Son, what are you saying? Of course you are! All I'm asking is that you treat her well, and you already do that." Randy explained, and Ryan gave him a smile.

"So...yes?" he asked, and Randy gave him a smile of his own.

"Yes. Did you ask Claire yet?" Randy asked, and Ryan's facial expression turned into confusion.

"Claire?" he asked, and Randy laughed.

"Oh, boy! Back in my time, it was proper to call them by their first names! Claire Anderson, my wife!"

Ryan laughed, but it didn't match Randy's.

"Yeah, I did...but, she told me if you were still alive, you'd never want to let Haylie go."

Randy's laughter died down as he looked at Ryan again.

"MacKenize and Haylie were my pride and joy. When the guys would ask if I wanted a boy or a girl, I'd always make them laugh when I told them I wanted a baby girl. And I got twins, well...it was sort of a miracle. I could watch them both grow up into beautiful women. You know, I was hoping Haylie would choose a guy like you. Most of those fellas she chose: I didn't like them." Randy stated, and Ryan gave him another smile.

"Really?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, all I wanted was for her to be happy with a guy that _would _make her happy, and it's you that does it. But, your right. I never wanted to depart from my family so soon. That was the only sad part about dying. You can't leave your family until your well in old age."

Randy sighed, and Ryan just looked at him.

"I'm very sorry to hear that."

He was surprised to see another smile on Randy's lips.

"Oh, ho! She picked a swell guy, yes sir! No fella would ever say that! Where did the time go by?"

Ryan gave the man a half-smile.

Ryan could see where Haylie would be proud of her father: he was really a nice man once you get to know him.

"You know, Haylie talks alot about you."

Randy sat back in his chair as he smiled.

"Does she now?"

Ryan nodded, and Randy's smile turned into a grin.

"Yeah."

He didn't want to tell Randy that everytime Haylie mentions her father, she cries.

That would have made a lasting impression!

"That's good. I didn't want them to forget about me. And I'm never forgetting about them." Randy commented, and Ryan looked at him.

"Well, I think I should let you go."

Ryan shook his head, and looked at Randy.

"What? But--"

The room began to disappear as he heard his name being called.

"Ryan! Ryan! Wake up!"

Ryan opened his eyes to see Haylie and Sharpay frowning at him.

"Really nice, Ryan. You slept in a chair at the store." Sharpay remarked, and Ryan looked up at Haylie.

"I met your father."

Haylie raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"I met your father, and he gave me permission to marry you."

Sharpay was trying not to laugh, and Haylie smiled.

"Okay...um, that's great, Ryan."

Ryan got up from the chair as they walked out of the store.

"But, I saw him, and I met him! You have to believe me."

Haylie turned around to face him.

"Ryan, my father is dead. Or maybe you have some physic thing going on where you can talk to ghosts."

Sharpay grinned at them.

"Admit it, Haylie: when Ryan sleeps for too long, he gets weird."

Ryan looked at the two girls, and shook his head.

He knew he had been somewhere, and he did see Haylie's father.

Maybe some things are left better unsaid...


End file.
